Cocoa purchases in Ghana, the world’s second-largest producer of the beans, increased 43 percent in the first 17 weeks of the marketing season, according to a government official with access to the information.
Companies licensed by the Ghana Cocoa Board to purchase the beans from farmers bought 675,838 metric tons in the period ended Jan. 27, compared with 474,355 tons in the same period a year earlier, the data showed. The official declined to be identified because the figures are confidential.
Purchases during the week ended Jan. 27 decreased to 10,983 tons from 16,155 tons in the 17th week of the 2009- 10 season, the data showed. Ghana borders Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest producer of the chocolate ingredient.
Cocoa for March delivery rose 0.3 percent to 2,200 pounds ($3,539) a ton in London on the Liffe exchange as of 10:16 a.m. local time.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
How Hosni Mubarak Got So Rich
USANEWS - Rick Newman
There are no Mubaraks on the Forbes list of the world's richest people, but there sure ought to be.
The mounting pressure from 18 days of historic protests finally drove Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from office, after three decades as his nation's iron-fisted ruler. But over that time, Mubarak amassed a fortune that should finance a pretty comfortable retirement. The British Guardian newspaper cites Middle Eastern sources placing the wealth of Mubarak and his family at somewhere between $40 billion and $70 billion. That's a pretty good pension for government work. The world's richest man--Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim--is worth about $54 billion, by comparison. Bill Gates is close behind, with a net worth of about $53 billion.
Mubarak, of course, was a military man, not a businessman. But running a country with a suspended constitution for 30 years generates certain perks, and Mubarak was in a position to take a slice of virtually every significant business deal in the country, from development projects throughout the Nile basin to transit projects on the Suez Canal, which is a conduit for about 4 percent of the world's oil shipments. "There was no accountability, no need for transparency," says Prof. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University. "He was able to reach into the economic sphere and benefit from monopolies, bribery fees, red-tape fees, and nepotism. It was guaranteed profit."
Had the typical Egyptian enjoyed a morsel of that, Mubarak might still be in power. But Egypt, despite a cadre of well-educated young people, has struggled as an economic backwater. The nation's GDP per capita is just $6,200, according to the CIA--one-seventh what it is in the United States. That output ranks 136th in the world, even though Egypt ranks 16th in population. Mubarak had been working on a set of economic reforms, but they stalled during the global recession. The chronic lack of jobs and upward mobility was perhaps the biggest factor driving millions of enraged Egyptian youths into the streets, demanding change
Estimates of Mubarak's wealth will probably be hard to verify, if not impossible (one reason dictators tend not to make it onto Forbes's annual list). His money is certainly not sitting in an Egyptian vault, waiting to be counted. And his delayed exit may have allowed Mubarak time to move money around and hide significant parts of his fortune. The Swiss government has said it is temporarily freezing any assets in Swiss banks that could be linked to Mubarak, an uncharacteristically aggressive move for the secretive banking nation. But that doesn't mean the money will ever be returned to the Egyptian people, and it may even find its way to Mubarak eventually. Other Mubarak funds are reportedly sitting in British banks, and Mubarak was no doubt wily enough to squire away some cash in unlikely places. Plus, an eventual exile deal could allow Mubarak to retain some of his wealth, no questions asked, as long as he and his family leave Egypt and make no further bids for power.
Epic skimming is a common privilege of Middle Eastern despots, and Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, were a bit less conspicuous than some of the Saudi princes and other Middle Eastern royals seen partying from time to time on the French Riviera or other hotspots. The family does reportedly own posh estates in London, New York, and Beverly Hills, plus a number of properties around the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, where Mubarak reportedly went after resigning the presidency.
Mubarak also spread the wealth far and wide in Egyptian power circles--another Middle Eastern tradition--one reason he incurred the kind of loyalty that allowed him to rule for a remarkable three decades. Top Army officials were almost certainly on his payroll, which might help explain why the Army eased him out in the end--allowing a kind of in-country exile--instead of hounding him out of Egypt or imprisoning him once it was clear the tide had turned against him for good.
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That money trail, in fact, will help determine whether Egypt becomes a more prosperous, democratic country, or continues to muddle along as an economic basket case. Even though he's out of power, Mubarak may still be able to influence the Army officials running the country, through the financial connections that made them all wealthy. And if not Mubarak, the next leader may be poised to start lining his pockets the same way Mubarak did. For Egypt to have a more effective, transparent economy, all of that will have to be cleaned up. There are probably a lot of people in Cairo who have been checking their bank balances lately.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Newmont Ghana pays $5.8m royalty to government for fourth quarter 2010
Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd, the second largest gold producer in Ghana says it has paid royalties amounting to $5,884,865.57, approximately GH¢8,707,255.64 to the Ghana government.
The company says in an advert published in the Daily Graphic newspaper Friday February 11, 2011 that it paid the amount to the Internal Revenue Service Large Tax Unit in Accra.
According to Newmont, the amount represents its royalty payment on gold sales by its Ahafo operations for the fourth quarter of 2010; that is October to December 2010.
The advert also indicates that since late 2006 to date, the company has paid royalties totalling more than $62 million approximately over GH¢98 million in addition to other direct financial benefits paid to the government and to the Ahafo communities.
The payments Newmont says, also includes the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation which has grown to $5 million.
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The company says in an advert published in the Daily Graphic newspaper Friday February 11, 2011 that it paid the amount to the Internal Revenue Service Large Tax Unit in Accra.
According to Newmont, the amount represents its royalty payment on gold sales by its Ahafo operations for the fourth quarter of 2010; that is October to December 2010.
The advert also indicates that since late 2006 to date, the company has paid royalties totalling more than $62 million approximately over GH¢98 million in addition to other direct financial benefits paid to the government and to the Ahafo communities.
The payments Newmont says, also includes the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation which has grown to $5 million.
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Democracy protests bring down Egypt's Mubarak
CAIRO – Fireworks burst over Tahrir Square and Egypt exploded with joy and tears of relief after pro-democracy protesters brought down President Hosni Mubarak with a momentous march on his palaces and state TV. Mubarak, who until the end seemed unable to grasp the depth of resentment over his three decades of authoritarian rule, finally resigned Friday and handed power to the military.
"The people ousted the regime," rang out chants from crowds of hundreds of thousands massed in Cairo's central Tahrir, or Liberation, Square and outside Mubarak's main palace several miles away in a northern district of the capital.
The crowds in Cairo, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and other cities around the country erupted into a pandemonium of cheers and waving flags. They danced, hugged and raised their hands in prayer after Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement on national TV just after nightfall. Some fell to kiss the ground, and others chanted, "Goodbye, goodbye" and "put your heads up high, you're Egyptian."
"Finally we are free," said Safwan Abou Stat, a 60-year-old protester. "From now on anyone who is going to rule will know that these people are great."
The success of the biggest popular uprising ever seen in the Arab world had stunning implications for the region, the United States and the West, and Israel.
Mubarak was the symbol of the implicit decades-old deal the United States made in the Middle East: Support for autocratic leaders in return for their guarantee of stability, a bulwark against Islamic militants and peace — or at least an effort at peace — with Israel.
The United States at times seemed overwhelmed throughout the 18 days of upheaval, fumbling to juggle its advocacy of democracy and the right to protest, its loyalty to longtime ally Mubarak and its fears Muslim fundamentalists could gain a foothold. Those issues will only grow in significance as Egypt takes the next steps towards what the protest movement hopes will be a true democracy — in which the Muslim Brotherhood will likely to be a significant political player.
Neighboring Israel watched with the crisis with unease, worried that their 1979 peace treaty could be in danger. It quickly demanded on Friday that post-Mubarak Egypt continue to adhere to it. Any break seems unlikely in the near term: The military leadership supports the treaty. While anti-Israeli feeling is strong among Egyptians and future ties may be strained, few call for outright abrogating a treaty that has kept peace after three wars in the past half-century.
From the oil-rich Gulf states in the east to Morocco in the west, regimes both pro- and anti-U.S. could not help but worry they could see a similar upheaval. Several of the region's authoritarian rulers have made pre-emptive gestures of democratic reform to avert their own protest movements.
The lesson many took: If it could happen in only three weeks in Egypt, where Mubarak's lock on power had appeared unshakable, it could happen anywhere. Only a month earlier, Tunisia's president was forced to step down in the face of protests.
Perhaps more surprising was the genesis of the force that overthrew Mubarak. The protests were started by a small core of secular, liberal youth activists organizing on the Internet who only a few months earlier struggled to gather more than 100 demonstrators at a time. But their work through Facebook and other social network sites over the past few years built a greater awareness and bitterness among Egyptians over issues like police abuse and corruption.
When the called the first major protest, on Jan. 25, they tapped into a public inspired by Tunisia's revolt and thousands turned out, beyond even the organizers' expectations. From there, protests swelled, drawing hundreds of thousands. The Muslim Brotherhood — Egypt's powerful Islamic fundamentalist movement — joined in. But far from U.S. fears the Brotherhood could co-opt the protests, the movement often seemed to co-opt the Brotherhood, forcing it to set aside its hard-line ideology at least for now to adhere to democratic demands.
Mubarak, a former air force commander came to power after the 1981 assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat by Islamic radicals. Throughout his rule, he showed a near obsession with stability, using rigged elections and a hated police force accused of widespread torture to ensure his control.
He resisted calls for reform even as public bitterness grew over corruption, deteriorating infrastructure and rampant poverty in a country where 40 percent live below or near the poverty line.
Up to the last hours, Mubarak sought to cling to power, handing some of his authorities to Suleiman while keeping his title.
But an explosion of protests Friday rejecting the move appeared to have pushed the military into forcing him out completely. Hundreds of thousands marched throughout the day in cities across the country as soldiers stood by, besieging his palaces in Cairo and Alexandria and the state TV building. A governor of a southern province was forced to flee to safety in the face of protests there.
Mubarak himself flew to his isolated palace in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, 250 miles from the turmoil in Cairo.
His fall came 32 years to the day after the collapse of the shah's government in Iran.
Vice President Suleiman — who appears to have lost his post as well in the military takeover — appeared grim as he delivered the short announcement.
"In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic," he said. "He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor."
Nobel Peace laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, whose young supporters were among the organizers of the protest movement, told The Associated Press, "This is the greatest day of my life."
"The country has been liberated after decades of repression," he said adding that he expects a "beautiful" transition of power.
The question now turned to what happens next after effectively a military coup, albeit one prompted by overwhelming popular pressure. Protesters on Friday had overtly pleaded for the army to oust Mubarak. The country is now ruled by the Armed Forces Supreme Council, the military's top body consisting of its highest ranking generals and headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.
After Mubarak's resignation, a military spokesman appeared on state TV and promised the army would not act as a substitute for a government based on the "legitimacy of the people."
He said the military was preparing the next steps needed "to acheive the ambitions of our great nation" and would announce them soon. He praised Mubarak for his contributions ot the country, then expressed the military's condolences for protesters killed in the unrest, standing at attention to give a salute.
Earlier in the day, the council vowed to guide the country to greater democracy. It said was committed "to shepherding the legitimate demands of the people and endeavoring to their implementation within a defined timetable until a peaceful transition to a democratic society aspired to by the people."
Abdel-Rahman Samir, one of the protest organizers, said the movement would now open negotiations with the military over democratic reforms but vowed protests would continue to ensure change is carried out.
"We still don't have any guarantees yet — if we end the whole situation now the it's like we haven't done anything," he said. "So we need to keep sitting in Tahrir until we get all our demands."
But, he added, "I feel fantastic. .... I feel like we have worked so hard, we planted a seed for a year and a half and now we are now finally sowing the fruits."
Sally Toma, another of the organizers, said she did not expect the military would try to clear the square. "We still have to sit and talk. We have to hear the army first," she said.
For the moment, concerns over the next step were overwhelmed by the wave of joy and disbelief.
Outside the Oruba presidential palace in northern Cairo, where tens of thousands had marched during the day, one man sprawled on the grass, saying he couldn't believe it. Protesters began to form a march toward Tahrir in a sea of Egyptian flags.
Thousands from across the capital of 18 million streamed into Tahrir, where protesters hugged, kissed and wept. Whole families took pictures of each other posing with Egyptian flags with their mobile phones as bridges over the Nile jammed with throngs more flowing into the square.
Abdul-Rahman Ayyash, an online activist born eight years after Mubarak came to office, said he would be celebrating all night, then remain in the square to ensure the military "won't steal the revolution."
"I'm 21 years old," he said. "This is the first time in my life I feel free."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ghana hits iron ore in Northern Region
Ghana is reported to have found large deposits of iron ore in the Northern Region.
According to a Daily Graphic report , geochemical exploration undertaken along the eastern corridor of the region by Inland Ghana Mines Ltd, a mining firm revealed that there are large deposits of iron ore at Shieni and its environs.
“Our company started prospecting for the minerals in the Shieni area in 2008 after obtaining a due diligence permit from the Ministry of Mines”, the newspaper said citing Mr Amos Owusu Boateng, Country Manager of Inland Ghana Limited.
The newspaper said aside iron, there are traces of silica, aluminium, copper, manganese and chrome been found, but these are subject to further laboratory examination to verify whether they are in commercial quantities and can be mined.
According to a Daily Graphic report , geochemical exploration undertaken along the eastern corridor of the region by Inland Ghana Mines Ltd, a mining firm revealed that there are large deposits of iron ore at Shieni and its environs.
“Our company started prospecting for the minerals in the Shieni area in 2008 after obtaining a due diligence permit from the Ministry of Mines”, the newspaper said citing Mr Amos Owusu Boateng, Country Manager of Inland Ghana Limited.
The newspaper said aside iron, there are traces of silica, aluminium, copper, manganese and chrome been found, but these are subject to further laboratory examination to verify whether they are in commercial quantities and can be mined.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
African Libation at a Smithsonian Exhibit in New York.
Dr. Kwame Aniapam Boafo President of Kwakwaduam Association Inc and Mr. G. Ofori Anor of the Okuapeman Fekuw performed a rendition of African Libation to open a program held on February 6 at the Cultural Center of the Rockland Community College in New York. The program was part of an Exhibition mounted by the Smithsonian Institute. Program hostess Ms Wylene Wood described their performance as “impressive and adding a special richness to the program.”
Titled “Indivisible”, the Exhibition traces historical interactions between the African American and the Native American. Main highlights of the program included opening remarks by Dr. Cliff L. Wood President, Rockland Community College, a DVD presentation of the interactions, and a discussion by Exhibit Curator Gabi Tayac of the Smithsonian NMAI. Other highlights were a Senegalese African Dance Performance by ChikuAwali, and Native American Dance Performances by Richard Medicine Bear, Linda Walks Far, the Powell Family and Red Storm Drum
The program offered a rare insight into the definition of race and how different groups particularly the African American and Native American combo have dealt with this from European colonization through the era of African/Native American enslavement to contemporary times. A warm tribute was paid to Ghana Telescope for its role in maintaining a chain of fraternity.
Titled “Indivisible”, the Exhibition traces historical interactions between the African American and the Native American. Main highlights of the program included opening remarks by Dr. Cliff L. Wood President, Rockland Community College, a DVD presentation of the interactions, and a discussion by Exhibit Curator Gabi Tayac of the Smithsonian NMAI. Other highlights were a Senegalese African Dance Performance by ChikuAwali, and Native American Dance Performances by Richard Medicine Bear, Linda Walks Far, the Powell Family and Red Storm Drum
The program offered a rare insight into the definition of race and how different groups particularly the African American and Native American combo have dealt with this from European colonization through the era of African/Native American enslavement to contemporary times. A warm tribute was paid to Ghana Telescope for its role in maintaining a chain of fraternity.
Ghana Agribusiness Report Q2 2011 - new market report published
Ghana Agribusiness Report Q2 2011 - Our View: Ghana is the world´s second-largest cocoa producer behind its neighbour Côte d´Ivoire. That country´s current political crisis may have ramifications for Ghana´s cocoa industry if it becomes protracted or deteriorates into civil war. Price rises likely in the coming weeks could encourage Cocobod to raise its fixed prices. In the event of
long-term unrest in Côte d´Ivoire, which should mean rises in plantings in Ghana and a chance for the country to gain ground on its neighbour.
Key Views
- In 2010/11, we expect to see a year-on-year rise in corn production of 2.2% to 1.66mn tonnes. Rising demand for corn as poultry feed is the main driver of production.
- The same year we are forecasting sorghum production of 375,000 tonnes, up 6.7% year-on-year. With demand for sorghum as food, feed and in beer manufacture rising, we expect output to rise 39.7% to reach 490,000 tonnes in 2014/15.
- Poultry production to rise to 38,000 tonnes in 2011, though imports will rise to 164,000 tonnes. Over the forecast period, we expect production to rise 82% to reach 58,000 tonnes in 2015.
- We have raised our forecast for Ghanaian cocoa production in 2010/11 to 788,000 tonnes on the back of increased yields this season. The figure represents a 12.6% rise on the previous year´s output.
Industry developments New USDA figures show that sorghum production has made an impressive recovery following the 2007/08 season, when the harvest was devastated by floods. That year, production slumped to just 155,000 tonnes, down more than 50% year-on-year. In 2008/09, production bounced back to 331,000 tonnes, while last year it rose a further 6.0% to reach 351,000 tonnes.
There is a risk that cocoa supply from Côte d´Ivoire could be disrupted should the current political standoff between Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara descend into serious violence or even renewed civil war. In such an event, cocoa prices would likely rally sharply above the GBP2,100/tonne level as the market is tight by historical standards. Continuing price rises would increase the chance that Ghana´s Cocobod would raise its own prices again. Should this happen, we can expect plantings to increase, posing an upside risk to our production forecasts.
With rises in Ghanaian poultry production being far outstripped by rises in cheap imports, there is a growing chorus of voices demanding controls on imports. In December 2010, senior food ministry official Dr Anthony Nsoh Akunzule said the importation of frozen chicken from the EU and other countries had been so overwhelming that local producers could not compete. The imports were often half the price of the local product. The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers has called for restrictions on the number of import permits the government issues. We see upside risk in our production forecasts if the government decides to act against imports.
long-term unrest in Côte d´Ivoire, which should mean rises in plantings in Ghana and a chance for the country to gain ground on its neighbour.
Key Views
- In 2010/11, we expect to see a year-on-year rise in corn production of 2.2% to 1.66mn tonnes. Rising demand for corn as poultry feed is the main driver of production.
- The same year we are forecasting sorghum production of 375,000 tonnes, up 6.7% year-on-year. With demand for sorghum as food, feed and in beer manufacture rising, we expect output to rise 39.7% to reach 490,000 tonnes in 2014/15.
- Poultry production to rise to 38,000 tonnes in 2011, though imports will rise to 164,000 tonnes. Over the forecast period, we expect production to rise 82% to reach 58,000 tonnes in 2015.
- We have raised our forecast for Ghanaian cocoa production in 2010/11 to 788,000 tonnes on the back of increased yields this season. The figure represents a 12.6% rise on the previous year´s output.
Industry developments New USDA figures show that sorghum production has made an impressive recovery following the 2007/08 season, when the harvest was devastated by floods. That year, production slumped to just 155,000 tonnes, down more than 50% year-on-year. In 2008/09, production bounced back to 331,000 tonnes, while last year it rose a further 6.0% to reach 351,000 tonnes.
There is a risk that cocoa supply from Côte d´Ivoire could be disrupted should the current political standoff between Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara descend into serious violence or even renewed civil war. In such an event, cocoa prices would likely rally sharply above the GBP2,100/tonne level as the market is tight by historical standards. Continuing price rises would increase the chance that Ghana´s Cocobod would raise its own prices again. Should this happen, we can expect plantings to increase, posing an upside risk to our production forecasts.
With rises in Ghanaian poultry production being far outstripped by rises in cheap imports, there is a growing chorus of voices demanding controls on imports. In December 2010, senior food ministry official Dr Anthony Nsoh Akunzule said the importation of frozen chicken from the EU and other countries had been so overwhelming that local producers could not compete. The imports were often half the price of the local product. The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers has called for restrictions on the number of import permits the government issues. We see upside risk in our production forecasts if the government decides to act against imports.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Church mission team to travel to Ghana
Posted: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 12:00 am | No Comments Posted
Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Share The Rev. Michael McIntyre, lead pastor of Living Word Church in Wildwood, will lead a mission team to Ghana from March 11-20.
On March 11, 10 members of the church will leave for Ghana to work with Living Word's sister church, Ebenezer Methodist Church in Bolgatanga, Ghana. They will dedicate a borehole well in Yigsuri and three borehole wells in Sekote. They also will dig and pour the foundation for a school in Sekote.
Living Word also will send a team in July and another one in September.
Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Share The Rev. Michael McIntyre, lead pastor of Living Word Church in Wildwood, will lead a mission team to Ghana from March 11-20.
On March 11, 10 members of the church will leave for Ghana to work with Living Word's sister church, Ebenezer Methodist Church in Bolgatanga, Ghana. They will dedicate a borehole well in Yigsuri and three borehole wells in Sekote. They also will dig and pour the foundation for a school in Sekote.
Living Word also will send a team in July and another one in September.
Canada to recognize southern Sudan: Harper
OTTAWA (AFP) – Canada will recognize southern Sudan as an independent state later this year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday as he praised its landmark independence referendum.
The referendum was "a historic moment for the country" and a "critical step" toward peace, said Harper, adding: "Canada is prepared to recognize southern Sudan when it becomes an independent state in July of this year."
Final results announced Monday showed that 98.83 percent of southern Sudanese had voted to secede from the north, paving the way for the declaration of a new state in July.
The January referendum was the centrepiece of a 2005 peace deal that ended a devastating 22-year conflict between the largely African Christian south and mainly Arab Muslim north.
Harper said Canada, which so far contributed 800 million dollars for humanitarian assistance, development and peace-building in Sudan, stands ready to assist the parties "in charting their post-referendum future."
The referendum was "a historic moment for the country" and a "critical step" toward peace, said Harper, adding: "Canada is prepared to recognize southern Sudan when it becomes an independent state in July of this year."
Final results announced Monday showed that 98.83 percent of southern Sudanese had voted to secede from the north, paving the way for the declaration of a new state in July.
The January referendum was the centrepiece of a 2005 peace deal that ended a devastating 22-year conflict between the largely African Christian south and mainly Arab Muslim north.
Harper said Canada, which so far contributed 800 million dollars for humanitarian assistance, development and peace-building in Sudan, stands ready to assist the parties "in charting their post-referendum future."
Amnesty questions Libyan arrest of cyber-activist
NICOSIA (AFP) – Human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Tuesday questioned Libya's detention of a cyber-activist for an alleged driving offence saying it had evidence the arrest was politically motivated.
Jamal al-Hajji, who has joint Libyan and Danish citizenship and has spent time in prison in the past for his criticism of the Tripoli regime, was detained on February 1 for an alleged hit-and-run accident, which he denies.
His arrest came shortly after he made a call on the Internet for demonstrations to be held in support of greater freedoms in Libya, mirroring the protests that have swept the Arab world since the overthrow last month of veteran Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
"Two particular aspects of the case lead us to believe that the alleged car incident was not the real reason for Jamal al-Hajji?s arrest, but merely a pretext to conceal what was really a politically motivated arrest," Amnesty?s Middle East and North Africa director Malcolm Smart said.
"First, eyewitnesses have reported that the man who is said to have complained of being struck by Jamal al-Hajji?s car showed no visible signs of injury," Smart said in a statement.
"Secondly, the officers who conducted the arrest were in plain clothes, indicating that they were not the ordinary police, who generally would be expected to handle car accidents, but members of the Internal Security Agency.
"It is the ISA that usually carries out arrests of political suspects and they wear plain clothes."
"The Libyan authorities must clarify the legal status of Jamal al-Hajji," Smart said.
"They must release him immediately and without conditions if the real reason for his continuing detention is his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, in which case he is a prisoner of conscience."
In recent days, Facebook groups numbering several hundred members have been calling for demonstrations to mark a "day of rage" in Libya on February 17 modelled on similar protests in other Arab countries.
Jamal al-Hajji, who has joint Libyan and Danish citizenship and has spent time in prison in the past for his criticism of the Tripoli regime, was detained on February 1 for an alleged hit-and-run accident, which he denies.
His arrest came shortly after he made a call on the Internet for demonstrations to be held in support of greater freedoms in Libya, mirroring the protests that have swept the Arab world since the overthrow last month of veteran Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
"Two particular aspects of the case lead us to believe that the alleged car incident was not the real reason for Jamal al-Hajji?s arrest, but merely a pretext to conceal what was really a politically motivated arrest," Amnesty?s Middle East and North Africa director Malcolm Smart said.
"First, eyewitnesses have reported that the man who is said to have complained of being struck by Jamal al-Hajji?s car showed no visible signs of injury," Smart said in a statement.
"Secondly, the officers who conducted the arrest were in plain clothes, indicating that they were not the ordinary police, who generally would be expected to handle car accidents, but members of the Internal Security Agency.
"It is the ISA that usually carries out arrests of political suspects and they wear plain clothes."
"The Libyan authorities must clarify the legal status of Jamal al-Hajji," Smart said.
"They must release him immediately and without conditions if the real reason for his continuing detention is his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, in which case he is a prisoner of conscience."
In recent days, Facebook groups numbering several hundred members have been calling for demonstrations to mark a "day of rage" in Libya on February 17 modelled on similar protests in other Arab countries.
Egyptians stage massive anti-Mubarak protest
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptians have staged one of their biggest protests yet insisting President Hosni Mubarak step down immediately and ignoring a government plan to transfer power.
For many protesters it was the first time they had joined the daily demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square showing the movement, now in its third week, still has momentum.
Many said they were inspired by a Google executive's tearful televised account of his detention by security forces.
Mubarak has refused to step down, but said neither he nor his son will stand for president in polls due in September. Vice President Omar Suleiman, who has been holding talks with opposition groups, said there was now a road map to hand over power, but protesters were unmoved by the plan.
"The people want the regime to fall," the crowds chanted.
Meanwhile, Suleiman blamed the protests for paralyzing the Egyptian economy.
"The big presence in Tahrir Square and some of the satellite stations which insult Egypt ... make citizens hesitant to go to work," he said.
Suleiman said: "We cannot bear this situation for a long time and we must end this crisis as soon as possible."
Credit Agricole analysts estimate the crisis is costing Egypt $310 million a day.
FRIDAY THE BIG TEST
Government attempts to defuse popular anger have so far fallen flat and the police force, state media and ruling party have all been weakened. Mubarak has the army left, though it has taken a neutral position in the crisis.
For the protesters, maintaining impetus is crucial. Some of them fear that a protracted stalemate will sap enthusiasm and draw more criticism from Egyptians who are not in the street but are feeling the economic impact of the turmoil.
Many in a country where about 40 percent of people live on less than $2 a day are desperate to return to work and normal life, even some of those wanting to oust Mubarak.
A protest called for Friday will be a big test of strength.
The numbers of Tuesday's protest were boosted by Google executive Wael Ghonim's emotional account of being blindfolded during 12 days in detention for Internet activism.
"You are the heroes. I am not a hero, you are the heroes," Ghonim told the cheering crowds.
Ghonim has for now at least been thrust to the forefront of a protest movement that has yet to produce a leader.
Later Ghonim expressed his sorrow for the victims of the violence that has claimed an estimated 300 lives.
"I saw young people dying and now the president has a responsibility to see what the people demand," he told Reuters.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pressed Suleiman for an orderly transition of power that is "prompt, meaningful, peaceful and legitimate," the White House said, and called for the immediate lifting of Egypt's emergency law.
The state news agency said 34 political prisoners had been released, the first to be set free since Mubarak promised reforms to quell the uprising. The White House called on Egypt to free all arrested protesters and journalists immediately.
"The government has got to stop arresting protesters and journalists, harassment, beatings, detentions of reporters, of activists, of those involved in civil society," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at a daily media briefing.
For many protesters it was the first time they had joined the daily demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square showing the movement, now in its third week, still has momentum.
Many said they were inspired by a Google executive's tearful televised account of his detention by security forces.
Mubarak has refused to step down, but said neither he nor his son will stand for president in polls due in September. Vice President Omar Suleiman, who has been holding talks with opposition groups, said there was now a road map to hand over power, but protesters were unmoved by the plan.
"The people want the regime to fall," the crowds chanted.
Meanwhile, Suleiman blamed the protests for paralyzing the Egyptian economy.
"The big presence in Tahrir Square and some of the satellite stations which insult Egypt ... make citizens hesitant to go to work," he said.
Suleiman said: "We cannot bear this situation for a long time and we must end this crisis as soon as possible."
Credit Agricole analysts estimate the crisis is costing Egypt $310 million a day.
FRIDAY THE BIG TEST
Government attempts to defuse popular anger have so far fallen flat and the police force, state media and ruling party have all been weakened. Mubarak has the army left, though it has taken a neutral position in the crisis.
For the protesters, maintaining impetus is crucial. Some of them fear that a protracted stalemate will sap enthusiasm and draw more criticism from Egyptians who are not in the street but are feeling the economic impact of the turmoil.
Many in a country where about 40 percent of people live on less than $2 a day are desperate to return to work and normal life, even some of those wanting to oust Mubarak.
A protest called for Friday will be a big test of strength.
The numbers of Tuesday's protest were boosted by Google executive Wael Ghonim's emotional account of being blindfolded during 12 days in detention for Internet activism.
"You are the heroes. I am not a hero, you are the heroes," Ghonim told the cheering crowds.
Ghonim has for now at least been thrust to the forefront of a protest movement that has yet to produce a leader.
Later Ghonim expressed his sorrow for the victims of the violence that has claimed an estimated 300 lives.
"I saw young people dying and now the president has a responsibility to see what the people demand," he told Reuters.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pressed Suleiman for an orderly transition of power that is "prompt, meaningful, peaceful and legitimate," the White House said, and called for the immediate lifting of Egypt's emergency law.
The state news agency said 34 political prisoners had been released, the first to be set free since Mubarak promised reforms to quell the uprising. The White House called on Egypt to free all arrested protesters and journalists immediately.
"The government has got to stop arresting protesters and journalists, harassment, beatings, detentions of reporters, of activists, of those involved in civil society," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at a daily media briefing.
US House rejects extensions of Patriot Act provisions
WASHINGTON – The House on Tuesday failed to extend the life of three surveillance tools that are key to the nation's post-Sept. 11 anti-terror law, a slipup for the new Republican leadership that miscalculated the level of opposition.
The House voted 277-148 to keep the three provisions of the USA Patriot Act on the books until Dec. 8. But Republicans brought up the bill under a special expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority, and the vote was seven short of reaching that level.
The Republicans, who took over the House last month, lost 26 of their own members, adding to the 122 Democrats who voted against it. Supporters say the three measures are vital to preventing another terrorist attack, but critics say they infringe on civil liberties. They appealed to the antipathy that newer and more conservative Republicans hold for big government invasions of individual privacy.
Earlier on Tuesday, Republicans also pulled a bill from the floor because of dissatisfaction about extending trade benefits for three South American countries while continuing a program that helps retrain Americans who lose their jobs to foreign competition.
The Patriot Act bill would have renewed the authority for court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. Also addressed was Section 215, the so-called library records provision that gives the FBI court-approved access to "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation.
The third deals with the "lone-wolf" provision of a 2004 anti-terror law that permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. people not known to be affiliated with a specific terrorist organization.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the former Judiciary Committee chairman who authored the 2001 Patriot Act, urged his colleagues to support the extensions, saying they were needed as a stopgap until permanent statutes could be agreed upon.
"The terrorist threat has not subsided and will not expire, and neither should our national security laws," he said.
But Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said Republican supporters of the tea party movement should show their opposition to big government by joining Democrats in opposing the measure.
"How about the Patriot Act, which has the broadest reach and the deepest reach of government to our daily lives?" he asked.
The defeat means that Republicans may have to bring the bill back to the floor under regular procedures that only require a majority for passage but allow for amendments. Time is of the essence: The three provisions will expire on Feb. 28 if the House and Senate can't agree on how to proceed.
The House had pushed for a nine-month extension to give lawmakers more time to come up with an approach that would give the measures permanent legal status. The Senate is considering longer-range ideas.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., last month introduced legislation that would extend the three provisions through 2013 while improving oversight of intelligence-gathering tools. Leahy would also phase out, at the end of 2013, the use of national security letters, FBI demands for information that do not need a judge's approval.
The Senate also has on its legislative calendar a bill by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would reauthorize the three measures through 2013 and a Republican proposal that would make them permanent.
The White House, in a statement, said it did not object to the House bill but "would strongly prefer" extending the provisions to the end of 2013, saying that "provides the necessary certainty and predictability that our nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies require."
Leahy, who introduced a nearly identical bill last year that the Senate did not take up, said in December that he had received a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder saying that the Justice Department was implementing several oversight and civil liberties measures included in his legislation.
Those included requirements that the government show relevance to an authorized investigation when seeking library or bookseller records, and similarly that the FBI show that information it is seeking with a national security letter is relevant to an investigation.
Michelle Richardson, legislative counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, said she was "glad to see there is bipartisan opposition to the Patriot Act 10 years later." The ACLU is a strong opponent of the three provisions, saying they lack proper and fundamental privacy safeguards
The House voted 277-148 to keep the three provisions of the USA Patriot Act on the books until Dec. 8. But Republicans brought up the bill under a special expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority, and the vote was seven short of reaching that level.
The Republicans, who took over the House last month, lost 26 of their own members, adding to the 122 Democrats who voted against it. Supporters say the three measures are vital to preventing another terrorist attack, but critics say they infringe on civil liberties. They appealed to the antipathy that newer and more conservative Republicans hold for big government invasions of individual privacy.
Earlier on Tuesday, Republicans also pulled a bill from the floor because of dissatisfaction about extending trade benefits for three South American countries while continuing a program that helps retrain Americans who lose their jobs to foreign competition.
The Patriot Act bill would have renewed the authority for court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. Also addressed was Section 215, the so-called library records provision that gives the FBI court-approved access to "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation.
The third deals with the "lone-wolf" provision of a 2004 anti-terror law that permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. people not known to be affiliated with a specific terrorist organization.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the former Judiciary Committee chairman who authored the 2001 Patriot Act, urged his colleagues to support the extensions, saying they were needed as a stopgap until permanent statutes could be agreed upon.
"The terrorist threat has not subsided and will not expire, and neither should our national security laws," he said.
But Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said Republican supporters of the tea party movement should show their opposition to big government by joining Democrats in opposing the measure.
"How about the Patriot Act, which has the broadest reach and the deepest reach of government to our daily lives?" he asked.
The defeat means that Republicans may have to bring the bill back to the floor under regular procedures that only require a majority for passage but allow for amendments. Time is of the essence: The three provisions will expire on Feb. 28 if the House and Senate can't agree on how to proceed.
The House had pushed for a nine-month extension to give lawmakers more time to come up with an approach that would give the measures permanent legal status. The Senate is considering longer-range ideas.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., last month introduced legislation that would extend the three provisions through 2013 while improving oversight of intelligence-gathering tools. Leahy would also phase out, at the end of 2013, the use of national security letters, FBI demands for information that do not need a judge's approval.
The Senate also has on its legislative calendar a bill by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would reauthorize the three measures through 2013 and a Republican proposal that would make them permanent.
The White House, in a statement, said it did not object to the House bill but "would strongly prefer" extending the provisions to the end of 2013, saying that "provides the necessary certainty and predictability that our nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies require."
Leahy, who introduced a nearly identical bill last year that the Senate did not take up, said in December that he had received a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder saying that the Justice Department was implementing several oversight and civil liberties measures included in his legislation.
Those included requirements that the government show relevance to an authorized investigation when seeking library or bookseller records, and similarly that the FBI show that information it is seeking with a national security letter is relevant to an investigation.
Michelle Richardson, legislative counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, said she was "glad to see there is bipartisan opposition to the Patriot Act 10 years later." The ACLU is a strong opponent of the three provisions, saying they lack proper and fundamental privacy safeguards
China police stop spread of Egypt news: activist
BEIJING (AFP) – Police in southwest China have barred activists from distributing leaflets about anti-government protests in Egypt and Tunisia, deeming the news too sensitive, one dissident said Wednesday.
Activists in Guizhou province tried to hand out information about the demonstrations over the weekend, but police told them this was an "unusual period" and gave them 3,000 yuan ($450) to stop, Chen Xi told AFP.
The police paid the money to compensate for losses incurred from the printing costs, and when the activists tried to distribute more information in Guiyang city on Monday, police again barred them from doing so, Chen said.
"We do this (hand out leaflets) all the time but the police believe it's an unusual time right now -- they don't want to let Chinese people know about the situation in North Africa," he said.
"Most of the time, they tolerate us, but this information they cannot tolerate."
Police in Guiyang said they were unaware of the situation when contacted by AFP on Wednesday.
The protests in Egypt and Tunisia have made headlines around the world.
In Tunisia, more than 230 people have died in a popular uprising that led to the ouster last month of leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Egypt is still in the throes of a revolt against President Hosni Mubarak that has left him clinging to power in the Arab world's most populous nation.
In China, online discussion about the protests has been muffled in a sign that the unrest is worrying Beijing, which censors content seen as a potential challenge to the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party.
A search under the word "Egypt" on the microblog of popular web portal sina.com on Wednesday yielded a message saying the search result cannot be shown "based on the relevant laws, regulations and policies".
State-run newspapers and television are reporting on the events in Egypt and Tunisia, but readers are not allowed to post comments at the bottom of online news stories on Egypt. On web portal netease.com, a message says the comment section has been closed.
"They're not confident. They have controlled China for 62 years with a one-party dictatorship, and they are still dealing with 1.3 billion people through the barrel of a gun," Chen said.
"The Chinese people are aware of this hard-line rule. So authorities are scared this information will spread to China."
Activists in Guizhou province tried to hand out information about the demonstrations over the weekend, but police told them this was an "unusual period" and gave them 3,000 yuan ($450) to stop, Chen Xi told AFP.
The police paid the money to compensate for losses incurred from the printing costs, and when the activists tried to distribute more information in Guiyang city on Monday, police again barred them from doing so, Chen said.
"We do this (hand out leaflets) all the time but the police believe it's an unusual time right now -- they don't want to let Chinese people know about the situation in North Africa," he said.
"Most of the time, they tolerate us, but this information they cannot tolerate."
Police in Guiyang said they were unaware of the situation when contacted by AFP on Wednesday.
The protests in Egypt and Tunisia have made headlines around the world.
In Tunisia, more than 230 people have died in a popular uprising that led to the ouster last month of leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Egypt is still in the throes of a revolt against President Hosni Mubarak that has left him clinging to power in the Arab world's most populous nation.
In China, online discussion about the protests has been muffled in a sign that the unrest is worrying Beijing, which censors content seen as a potential challenge to the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party.
A search under the word "Egypt" on the microblog of popular web portal sina.com on Wednesday yielded a message saying the search result cannot be shown "based on the relevant laws, regulations and policies".
State-run newspapers and television are reporting on the events in Egypt and Tunisia, but readers are not allowed to post comments at the bottom of online news stories on Egypt. On web portal netease.com, a message says the comment section has been closed.
"They're not confident. They have controlled China for 62 years with a one-party dictatorship, and they are still dealing with 1.3 billion people through the barrel of a gun," Chen said.
"The Chinese people are aware of this hard-line rule. So authorities are scared this information will spread to China."
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Ivory Coast Gbagbo backers protest against African Union
ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Several thousand youths loyal to Ivory Coast incumbent Laurent Gbagbo marched through Abidjan on Saturday to protest the presence of Burkina Faso's president on a mediation panel aiming to resolve a post-election crisis.
At the end of last month, the African Union's Peace and Security Council gave five African leaders a one-month mandate to seek a solution to the violent power struggle between Gbagbo and rival presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara. Their conclusions are intended to be binding on both sides.
Several previous AU mediation efforts have failed.
Ouattara was declared winner of a November 28 vote according to U.N.-certified results. But Gbagbo has refused to concede and has the backing of the military, which he has used to entrench his position and besiege the hotel his rival is using as a base.
He has rejected huge international pressure, financial sanctions and threats of force by West African neighbors.
The Constitutional Council, which is run by a staunch Gbagbo ally, annulled tens of thousands of votes in pro-Ouattara strongholds on grounds of fraud, so Gbagbo's supporters argue he is constitutionally the winner.
"The (AU) panel cannot rewrite our constitution, it can only respect our constitution," Gbagbo's youth leader, Ble Goude, told the rally, drawing loud applause. "
The election was supposed to draw a line under years of political and military stalemate since a 2002-03 war partitioned the world's top cocoa-growing country, but has only worsened the divisions that sparked the conflict in the first place.
Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, who earlier mediated in the Ivory Coast conflict but who diplomats say is furious with Gbagbo for refusing to accept the election results, is on the African Union panel.
"No, no to Compaore!" the crowd shouted.
Gbagbo's supporters accuse Compaore of abetting the 2002 rebellion by Ivorian troops of northern origin.
"Blaise Compaore was the mediator but he has become complicit in the Ivorian crisis," Goude said.
Gbagbo has officially accepted the panel, but he has a habit of expressing his discontent by mobilizing his supporters to demonstrate in the streets.
At the end of last month, the African Union's Peace and Security Council gave five African leaders a one-month mandate to seek a solution to the violent power struggle between Gbagbo and rival presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara. Their conclusions are intended to be binding on both sides.
Several previous AU mediation efforts have failed.
Ouattara was declared winner of a November 28 vote according to U.N.-certified results. But Gbagbo has refused to concede and has the backing of the military, which he has used to entrench his position and besiege the hotel his rival is using as a base.
He has rejected huge international pressure, financial sanctions and threats of force by West African neighbors.
The Constitutional Council, which is run by a staunch Gbagbo ally, annulled tens of thousands of votes in pro-Ouattara strongholds on grounds of fraud, so Gbagbo's supporters argue he is constitutionally the winner.
"The (AU) panel cannot rewrite our constitution, it can only respect our constitution," Gbagbo's youth leader, Ble Goude, told the rally, drawing loud applause. "
The election was supposed to draw a line under years of political and military stalemate since a 2002-03 war partitioned the world's top cocoa-growing country, but has only worsened the divisions that sparked the conflict in the first place.
Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, who earlier mediated in the Ivory Coast conflict but who diplomats say is furious with Gbagbo for refusing to accept the election results, is on the African Union panel.
"No, no to Compaore!" the crowd shouted.
Gbagbo's supporters accuse Compaore of abetting the 2002 rebellion by Ivorian troops of northern origin.
"Blaise Compaore was the mediator but he has become complicit in the Ivorian crisis," Goude said.
Gbagbo has officially accepted the panel, but he has a habit of expressing his discontent by mobilizing his supporters to demonstrate in the streets.
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